Torrents
by forensicsfan
Summary: COMPLETE *** Sara's had the night from hell, what does she do?
1. Default Chapter

Disclaimer: I didn't create them. I don't own them, but I wouldn't mind living next door to George Eads.  
  
Rating: Not sure  
  
Pairing: Read and find out.  
  
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It was the first night off that Nick had gotten in 17 days. He was too keyed up to sleep and he didn't feel like going out to a club. So here he sat on the couch drinking a micro brew and watching the Discovery Channel. He took a lot of ribbing for his TV viewing habits, but if truth be told, most of the rest of the nightshift team did the same when they had time. It was a good way to unwind and escape the realities of their jobs. He took another long swig from his beer and set it back on the coffee table. The current program was about the rivers and lakes of Africa. He made a mental note that if he ever could take a few weeks off that he'd like to go visit Lake Tanganyika on the border between Tanzania and Zambia. The wildlife there seemed spectacular. He rested his head back against the couch and closed his eyes.  
  
He must have drifted off because when he opened his eyes, a program about whales was on. He could hear the sound of a downpour outside and mentally offered up thanks that he wasn't working tonight. He reached over to grab the neck of the beer bottle and task a swig. A frown formed on his face. It was warm. He glanced at his watch. 2:00am. He'd been asleep for three hours. He pondered whether he should grab another cold beer from the fridge or just go to sleep when he heard a knock at the door.  
  
He furrowed his brow in concern as to why someone would knock so late. He opened the door to reveal a soaking wet Sara. Her clothing was plastered to her body and from what she was wearing it look as if she'd been on a date or something. He remembered that she also had the night off, she had worked 19 straight days. She looked at him with pleading eyes and then he noticed that she'd been crying. He opened the door wide to let her in. She made her way to his couch, hugging her arms around herself.  
  
Nick walked over, looking at her with concern, "Sara, are you ok?"  
  
She looked up at him, tears brimming in her eyes, "I've just had the night from hell and needed to talk to someone."  
  
He sat down on the couch next to her and wrapped his arms around her, the moisture from her clothes soaking into his, "Shh, tell me what's wrong."  
  
Through sniffles she tried to explain, "I let my friend Kelly talk me into going on a blind date. You know how you guys are all telling me I need to get out more."  
  
Nick chuckled, giving her shoulders a squeeze, "We only tell you that because we don't want you to work yourself to death. We care about you."  
  
Sara smiled through her tears sniffling, "Thanks, Nicky." A tear ran down her cheek as she continued, "Anyway, this guy seemed really nice at first, he brought me flowers when he picked me up. He took me to a nice dinner, but when we got to this club to go dancing he wouldn't stop groping me. When I told him I wanted to go home, he pitched a fit and finally said he would when I told him I was going to call a cab. He made some lame excuse about his tire being flat and pulled over and started to grope me again. I got out, and walked here."  
  
"Shh, Sara, it's ok. He's not going to hurt you again." Nick pulled Sara against him mentally cursing the jerk that would try this on Sara. He would never treat her like that if he ever had the chance to take her out on a real date.  
  
Sara sobbed against Nick's chest. He stroked her hair. Sara's sobs tapered off to sniffles and she pushed away from Nick's chest suddenly realizing that she had managed to soak his clothes with the moisture from hers. She looked into his eyes with an apologetic expression, "I'm sorry I got you all wet."  
  
He chuckled as he looked back at her, his face etched with concern, "It's ok. But I think I'd better find you a change of clothes and a towel before you freeze."  
  
He disappeared for a few minutes and returned bearing sweatpants, a T-shirt and a towel. He offered them to Sara, "Here, I'm sure the sweats will be too big for you, but they do have a drawstring. I think the shirt might fit you though, one of my sisters left here the last time they were out visiting."  
  
"Thanks, Nick." Sara wiped the tears from her face and headed for the bathroom to dry off and change. When she emerged she noticed that Nick had changed also. He wore a pair of sweats and a gray LVPD T-shirt.  
  
Nick raised an eyebrow at her, "Do you want me to take you home?"  
  
She looked at him with pleading eyes, "He knows where I live, can I stay with you tonight, Nicky?"  
  
He nodded and pulled her into a hug, kissing the top of her head and stroking her hair, "Yeah."  
  
Sara felt safe in Nick's arms, her hands splayed against his chest. She had often wondered what it would be like to be in his arms because he loved her, not just because he was her friend. She glanced up at him and caught his eyes looking down at her. His arms pulled her closer as he smiled at her. She continued looking into his eyes, searching them. The expression on his face changed, a curious expression crossed it as he tried to read her eyes. Her hands slid up his chest and her arms snaked around his neck. Nick continued searching her eyes, glancing at her lips. A smile played at the corners of Sara's mouth as she cupped the back of Nick's head. His eyebrows shot up, but his arms tightened their grip around her waist. Their faces leaned toward each other. Eyes searching for permission. They could feel the breath of the other on their lips before they met in a soft kiss. They broke apart for a moment, Nick's eyes still searching Sara's. Sara smiled at him and whispered, "I want you, Nick. I've wanted you for a long time." He smiled in return, whispering, "Me too," before taking her lips in a crushing passionate kiss.  
  
Things quickly escalated, and they left a trail of clothing in the hallway as they made their way to Nick's bed, finally collapsing against each other, their legs tangled in blissful ecstasy. 


	2. Soft Light

Sara's eyes fluttered open. Through the soft light filtering between the slats of the heavy wooden blinds she could make out Nick's sleeping form. He lay on his stomach, his arm was slung over her waist and his head rested on her shoulder. Their legs were still intertwine. She let out a deep breath and wondered silently to herself if she had just made the biggest mistake of her life. They had whispered many things to each other last night in the middle of their lovemaking. She wondered how many of them would hold up in daylight. She couldn't resist the urge to caress Nick's arm as it lay across her waist. He was gorgeous when he was asleep. She smiled. He was gorgeous when he was awake. She'd been attracted to Nick Stokes since she met him throwing dummies off a hotel roof. He never acted like he wanted to be anything more than friends before last night. She hoped that they hadn't ruined their friendship by sleeping together. Especially if things didn't work out between them. She furrowed her brow. Exactly what did she mean by 'things'? They weren't dating, at least she didn't think so. Is this how Nick jumped into 'relationships'? Damn, they were going to have to talk about this. If she had just called that cab, she wouldn't be in Nick's bed. But then if she had called the cab she wouldn't be in Nick's bed. They needed to talk. Damn he was gorgeous when he was sleeping.  
  
Nick felt Sara's fingers caressing his arm and he slowly opened his eyes. He saw her furrow her brow and wondered what she was thinking. He hoped she didn't regret last night. He didn't. He had wanted to be with her since he'd first met her when he was throwing dummies off a hotel roof. He'd kept his distance because he thought that Grissom had some claim to her. But Grissom hadn't made a move in three and a half years, and Sara had dated other guys. Ok, so dating was a loose term. Hank didn't really count, and she hadn't seen anyone seriously that he knew about. He hoped she didn't think last night was a mistake. He didn't think it was. It wasn't exactly the way he'd pictured their first time together, but it wasn't a mistake. They needed to talk. He dreaded that. Somehow his words didn't always come out right. He hoped he could convey to her that she wasn't just an opportunity. He wanted to be with her. Not just physically, although after last night, he wasn't sure he would ever get enough of Sara. He hoped that sleeping together hadn't ruined their friendship. He valued it too much. What if things didn't work out between them? What if she didn't care for him as much as he cared for her? Damn, they were going to have to talk.  
  
Sara glanced over and noticed Nick watching her. A smiled spread across her face. Nick's arm tightened around her waist and he whispered, "Good morning, beautiful."  
  
Sara reached over and smoothed his hair which had pieces of it jutting out of place, "Morning, Nick."  
  
Nick leaned down and kissed her long and deep. As he broke the kiss he looked down into her eyes, "Sara, I just want you to know, I don't have any regrets about last night. I've just been an idiot who was too afraid to make a move. I should have asked you out three and a half years ago." His thumb caressed her side.  
  
Nick's words registered in Sara's mind and a surprised expression crossed her face, "Three and a half years? Nick, that's when we met."  
  
Nick nodded, "Yeah, I've wanted to ask you out since I met you, but there always seemed to be something or someone in the way."  
  
Sara's face became serious, "Me too."  
  
Nick's eyebrow shot up quizzically, "Me too what?"  
  
She smiled, "I've wanted to go out with you since I met you."  
  
A grin spread across Nick's face, "We sure wasted a lot of time."  
  
Sara giggled and pulled him down for another kiss. Their hands roamed and caressed. Nick's weight pushed her into the mattress. Their legs tangled together in the most intimate of embraces. They drifted off to sleep for the second time that night in each others arms.  
  
They woke several hours later not really wanting to get up, but knowing that they needed to. Nick lifted himself out of bed and walked over to his dresser to find a clean pair of boxers. He heard Sara chuckle as he stood there au natural and looked over his shoulder at her with a curious brow.  
  
"I was just thinking that I've got this view of you firmly etched in my memory. I'll never look at you in a pair of jeans the same way again." Sara grinned, devouring the sight of him.  
  
Nick waggled his eyebrows at her, "You like what you see?"  
  
Sara gave him a smug grin, "Oh, yeah."  
  
He pulled a pair of boxers out and headed toward the bathroom, "I'm taking a shower, I'll be back in a few minutes." When Nick emerged freshly showered and clad in his boxers, he found Sara hugging a pillow with her eyes closed. He smiled and crawled on the bed toward her. She opened her eyes to see him grinning at her with her underwear dangling from his index finger, "I never figured you for a thong kind of girl, Sara."  
  
"There's a lot about me you don't know, Nicky." She raised her eyebrows and grabbed for the underwear.  
  
He tossed it to the floor and pinned her to the bed, leaning down to kiss her. She snaked her arms around him and pulled him closer. They lost themselves for a few minutes, kissing and touching, finally breaking apart, when Nick heard a knock at the door. A look of realization dawn on Nick and he looked down at Sara with dread, "It's Warrick. We were supposed to go to do something today before work." He looked into her eyes, searching, "What do you want me to do, Sara?"  
  
She smiled at him, "If I know Warrick he's not just going to go away. He'll just think you're sleeping."  
  
Nick chuckled, "You're right."  
  
"Do you care if he knows I'm here?" She queried.  
  
He looked at her with concern, "Do you mind if he knows?"  
  
She shook her head and smiled, "I would mind if he saw me naked though. Are my clothes dry yet?"  
  
Nick gave her a sheepish look and shook his head, "I forgot your shirt was on the shower rod and it fell in when I was taking a shower."  
  
Sara raised an eyebrow at him, "I need something to wear."  
  
Nick chuckled and got off the bed. He reached into his dresser and pulled out a pair of boxers and a T-shirt and tossed them to Sara.  
  
She smiled, "Thanks. You better go let Warrick in before starts calling your cell phone."  
  
As if on cue, Nick's cell phone rang somewhere out in the living room. He flashed Sara a grin as she got out of bed to get dressed and headed to the front door to let Warrick in. 


	3. Warrick

Nick didn't bother answering his cell phone. He walked over to the front door and opened it. Warrick took a look at him, raised an eyebrow and hung up his cell phone, "I figured you were sleeping."  
  
Nick gestured Warrick into his house, "I wasn't asleep."  
  
Warrick glanced around the house, noting a purse on the coffee table and a trail of clothes ending at the door to Nick's bedroom. A smirk crossed Warrick's face, "You've got company."  
  
Nick tried to restrain a grin, "You're pretty observant, man."  
  
Warrick raised an eyebrow, "Do I get to meet the lady in question."  
  
Nick crossed his arms in front of him, "I believe you've already met."  
  
Curious, Warrick asked, "So who is it?"  
  
"Have a seat." Nick gestured toward the couch, "I'll be ready in a couple of minutes." Nick picked up the trail of clothes in the hallway and disappeared into his bedroom.  
  
Warrick sank into the couch and wondered to himself who Nick had spent the night with. He knew that Nick had a thing for Sara and he wondered when he was ever going to get the courage to ask her out. Instead he seemed to have a steady stream of women that he'd go on one or two dates with before moving on to the next one. He knew they were just a distraction for him to keep his mind off of Sara. Warrick chuckled. He was pretty sure Sara had a thing for Nick too. Maybe he should run a little interference and set them up. Hmm. Maybe not. He had heard that Sara was going on a blind date last night, and if it had gone well she probably wouldn't be open to it. If it had gone badly, she certainly wouldn't be open to it. Sara was hard to read at times, but he was still pretty sure that she had a thing for Nick. Speaking of Nick, what was taking him so long. Get a grip, Warrick, that one isn't too hard to figure out. He's got a woman in his bedroom. Warrick let out another chuckle.  
  
The door to Nick's bedroom opened and Warrick called out, "It's about time, Nick." When he didn't get a response he looked up and his jaw dropped. The last person he expected to see standing there was Sara. Especially clad in a pair of Nick's boxers and a T-shirt.  
  
She looked amused at his expression of shock.  
  
Nick emerged from the bedroom clad in black jeans with a charcoal gray ribbed T-shirt and another article of clothing in hand. He looked amused at Warrick's expression, "See, I told you that you'd met her." He glanced over at Sara and grinned at her, "Sara, I thought you might need these." He handed her the underwear he had thrown across the room earlier.  
  
Sara crumpled the underwear in her hand, a slight blush coloring her cheeks, "Thanks, Nick."  
  
Nick looked amused, "I think with the exception of your shirt, the rest of your clothes might be dry." He leaned over and kissed her on the cheek and headed into the bathroom.  
  
"Damn, Sara!" Warrick exclaimed.  
  
"Surprised, War?" Sara replied a smirk on her face.  
  
"Hell, yeah!" Warrick chuckled, "I thought you had a blind date last night."  
  
Her brows knitted together, she replied, "I did. It was the date from hell."  
  
Warrick looked confused, "So how did you end up here?"  
  
Sara crossed her arms in front of her, "Well, Mr. All-Hands wouldn't get off me, so when he pulled over to check on his 'flat tire', I walked over here because Nick's house was closer to walk to in the rain than mine and the jerk knows where I live."  
  
Nick emerged from the bathroom now wearing his charcoal gray ribbed T-shirt with the rest of Sara's clothes in his hands, "Well, your pants are dry and so is this." He dangled her bra in front of her face.  
  
Sara grabbed the bra away from Nick and shot him an embarrassed grin, "I'm going to kill you later for that. You know that don't you?"  
  
He handed her the pants grinning, "I'll look forward to it."  
  
Warrick had an amused expression on his face.  
  
She looked over at Warrick and shot him a warning glare, "You say a word and you're dead. I do know how to hide evidence." She looked at Nick smiling, her cheeks blushing red, "I'm going to get dressed." As she walked by Nick, she squeezed his butt.  
  
Nick jumped slightly, "Careful with the merchandise there, Sara."  
  
She glanced back grinning, "Don't worry, Nicky, I wouldn't want to harm anything I've got a vested interest in." She disappeared into Nick's bedroom.  
  
Warrick laughed, and Nick tried to suppress a grin that had already formed and the color flooding his face. Warrick narrowed his gaze at Nick, "What exactly is going on between you and Sara?"  
  
Nick looked over at Warrick, his face returning to normal color, "You're a CSI, Warrick. What do you think?"  
  
Warrick crossed his arms in front of him and leaned back into the couch, "I know you're sleeping together, that's not what I'm asking."  
  
"You want to know if were dating," Nick stated simply.  
  
Warrick nodded.  
  
Nick smiled, "That is my intention. If I was interested in hiding this, I wouldn't have let you in."  
  
Sara had overheard this last exchange from the doorway of Nick's bedroom. She wore her black slacks from the night before and one of his button down shirts with the sleeves rolled up. The French blue color suited her. She stood there smiling, "That's my intention too." 


	4. Catherine

Nick turned and grinned at Sara. A lot could change in the course of 24 hours. He never would have thought he would be able to say that he and Sara were dating, let alone make love to her. Damn she looked good in his shirt. He chuckled. She looked good in anything. And nothing.  
  
Sara walked over to where Nick was standing as he stared at her. She grinned at him. The look on his face said it all. She couldn't believe that 24 hours could change so much. She never imagined that Nick Stokes would want to date her. Of course she never imagined she would have made love with him either. She chuckled. Ok, so she'd imagined it. She just never thought it would happen.  
  
Sara wrapped her arms around Nick's waist and tilted her head up to look at him, he leaned down and kissed her, oblivious to Warrick, who still sat on the couch. As they broke the kiss, Nick whispered to her, "Damn, you look good in my shirt."  
  
Sara giggled.  
  
Warrick cleared his throat, "Just in case you forgot, I'm still here." He wore an amused expression as the pair turned toward him looking apologetic. He continued, raising an eyebrow, "I don't think you two are going to be able to do that at the lab."  
  
Sara looked over at Warrick, "Sorry, Warrick."  
  
Nick just grinned.  
  
Warrick raised a curious eyebrow, "So, are we still gonna go to the driving range, or did you make other plans?"  
  
Nick looked at his watch and then over at Warrick, "Well, I'm not sure we're going to have time. Sara doesn't have a car here and I'm sure she'd like to change before work."  
  
"I could come with you." She looked over at Warrick, "That is if you don't mind. That way we could all just go to work from there. I've got a change of clothes in my locker. Nick can just take me home later." Sara had a devilish grin as she looked at Nick.  
  
Nick waggled his eyebrows at her and smiled.  
  
Warrick looked at his watch, "Ok, let's go."  
  
The trio headed toward the driving range and spent the next hour hitting a couple buckets of balls. When they finished, Warrick dropped Nick and Sara back at Nick's house to pick up his Tahoe and then headed to the lab.  
  
When they arrived, Nick and Warrick headed to the break room and Sara headed to the locker room for a fresh change of clothes.  
  
Catherine was stowing her gear into her locker when Sara walked in. She raised a curious eyebrow as she took in Sara's appearance, "Is that a new shirt, Sara?"  
  
Sara tried to suppress a grin and casually replied, "Do you like it?"  
  
An amused smirk crossed Catherine's face, "Nice color on you, but it's doesn't really seem to be your usual style."  
  
Sara tried to maintain her cool demeanor, "I just thought I'd try something a little different today."  
  
Catherine looked at Sara quizzically, and then a suspicious grin formed on her lips, "I seem to recall Nick wearing a shirt just like that a couple of days ago."  
  
Sara's cheeks flushed slightly, "Oh, really. Now that you mention it, I think I remember. I guess it does look a lot like it."  
  
Catherine chuckled and leveled a gaze at Sara that only a mom could pull off, "That's Nick's shirt, isn't it?"  
  
More color infused Sara's cheeks.  
  
Catherine crossed her arms in front of her with an expectant grin on her face.  
  
Sara chuckled with a smile on her face and met Catherine's stare, "Ok, it's Nick's shirt."  
  
Catherine arched both of her brows, "And you're wearing it because?"  
  
Nick walked into the locker room, having caught the tail end of Catherine's inquisition. He had an amused look on his face as he approached Sara.  
  
Catherine glanced over at Nick curiously.  
  
Sara turned toward Nick and a grin spread across her face.  
  
Nick opened his locker, stowed his gear, and glanced at Catherine, "Don't you think Sara looks good in my shirt?" He winked at Sara.  
  
Catherine studied the pair trying to figure out exactly what was going on.  
  
And as if reading her mind, Nick closed his locker door, stepped over to Sara and put his arms around her waist, pulling her into his embrace before planting a kiss on her lips.  
  
Catherine's jaw dropped slightly and then a wry grin broke over her face, "When did this happen?"  
  
Nick broke the kiss, not letting Sara out of his embrace as he grinned at Catherine, "Last night."  
  
Catherine raised a curious eyebrow at Sara, "I thought you had a blind date last night, Sara." She glanced at Nick, "It wasn't Nick was it?"  
  
Sara chuckled and shook her head, "No, I had the date from hell last night. Nick's house was closer to walk to in the rain." She looked up at Nick, her hands resting on his chest, "I don't think I'll be going on anymore blind dates for a while."  
  
Nick grinned down at her, "I should hope not," he stole one more kiss before letting her out of his embrace.  
  
Sara turned and opened her locker, pulling out her duffel bag with her change of clothes. As she opened it, she cursed. A look of amusement crossed Nick and Catherine's faces. Sara glanced up, "I forgot to take these home and wash them. I guess I'm stuck wearing these all night." She gestured to the clothes she was already wearing.  
  
Nick looked amused, "Well, you do look good in my shirt."  
  
Sara narrowed her eyes at Nick for a moment and quipped, "Nothing like having a flashing sign on me saying 'Property of Nick Stokes'."  
  
Nick tried to restrain a chuckle, "How do you feel about a tattoo?"  
  
Sara swatted at him trying to act mad.  
  
Nick raised his hands in surrender, "Ok, no tattoo then." He looked at her with some concern, "How many people are gonna be able to figure out that's my shirt?"  
  
Catherine cleared her throat.  
  
Sara glanced over at her and then back at Nick, "Well it took Catherine about three seconds. We're CSIs Nick. We get paid to notice things. I guess I just thought people would figure it out gradually on their own."  
  
Nick pulled her into a hug and chuckled, "It's gonna be ok, Sara."  
  
"No offense, you two, but the way you're acting is a much bigger clue of what's going on than the shirt. That's just icing on the cake." Catherine quipped with a bemused grin.  
  
Sara chuckled, "I'm not sure I know what you mean, Catherine." Nick and Sara stepped apart. Sara changed the subject, "We should head to the break room for assignments before Grissom sends out a search party for us."  
  
Catherine raised an eyebrow, "Oh, now that's one person I've got to see figure this out."  
  
The trio headed toward the break room for assignments. 


	5. Grissom

A/N: Since it has been said (by William Peterson of all people), that Grissom lives his life in his mind, I thought it would be interesting to be inside his mind as he discovers Nick and Sara's new relationship.  
  
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Grissom was in a foul mood. Last night everyone had doubled up on cases because both Nick and Sara had the night off. Not that he begrudged his people time off, they both needed it, they had worked too many nights in a row to not take time off. He just had the sheriff chewing on his ass because his team didn't respond as quickly as he wanted. Sheriff Mobley always put Grissom in a foul mood. It didn't matter how many times Grissom told Mobley that science took time, Mobley would always inevitably respond that time was not something they had in a case of such importance. That was the problem, in Vegas, too many high profile people were involved in things of ill repute. Sin City. It was aptly named. People flocked here and left their morals behind. It gave Grissom and his crew the opportunity to solve crimes that would baffle other forensic experts. They weren't the number two lab in the country for no reason. Still he was in a foul mood. He had hoped that the team would assemble early so he could give out assignments and go back and finish the paperwork the sheriff wanted.  
  
Grissom was in the break room looking for coffee. As he took a sip he could tell that Greg was already at work, the coffee tasted good. Warrick sauntered in looking a bit subdued, perhaps with something on his mind. This wasn't unusual, Warrick tended to be a bit more tight lipped about his personal life than the rest of the team. Not that the rest were forthcoming about what they did after hours, but Warrick more than the rest seemed to guard his privacy.  
  
Nick, Sara, and Catherine arrived in the break room about the same time. Catherine had a slightly amused look on her face and Grissom raised an eyebrow at her to see if he could read her expression. She shrugged her shoulders with a smug expression on her face that indicated that he was going to have to figure it out himself and it had nothing to do with her.  
  
The group of CSIs chattered away about nothing in particular. Warrick and Catherine filled Nick and Sara in on what had transpired the night before.  
  
Nick looked happy. Then he always was more outwardly cheery than the rest of them. Although his exterior might often belie something deeper going on. He was definitely one of the more sensitive ones on his team . He worked well with everyone on the team, but he and Grissom tended to butt heads at times. Nick might think that Grissom didn't think he was a good CSI, but in reality Grissom knew he could learn more and be better at his job. Grissom knew he had potential and he wanted to push him to achieve that potential.  
  
Sara looked different. Grissom raised an eyebrow, studying her as he sipped his coffee. She took a seat next to Nick at the table in the middle of the break room. Hmm. There was something about her. He sipped his coffee again. The shirt. Grissom tried not to choke on his coffee. He narrowed his gaze at her without being too obvious. He could swear he saw Nick wear a shirt just like it a few days ago.  
  
He glanced over at Nick. Nick kept glancing at Sara and smiling. Grissom looked at Warrick and Catherine. The two of them wore bemused grins on their faces as if they were privy to information that he didn't have. Catherine caught Grissom looking and smirked at him. Grissom gave her a half smile and glanced back at Nick and Sara. He caught Catherine smiling out of the corner of his eye. Hmm. There was definitely something going on. He just wasn't sure what that was yet.  
  
Something about the way Sara kept looking at Nick triggered something in Grissom. The pieces of the puzzle seemed to suddenly fit together. Nick and Sara were together. He wasn't sure for how long, but they were definitely together. He took another look at the shirt Sara wore. A half smile crossed his face as he took another sip of his coffee. It was Nick's shirt. The top button was missing. Grissom remembered that Nick made a comment about it at a crime scene they were processing a few days ago, when he had seen Nick wear the shirt. Nick chuckled about poor workmanship because the shirt was new. As Grissom watched, Sara reached under the table and squeezed Nick's hand as the group shared a joke. Nick grinned at her and Grissom could see him squeeze her hand in return. He was glad. Sara and Nick deserved to have a life. They logged far too much overtime each month. It could be complicated though. He'd have to watch them closely and make sure they didn't act unprofessionally at work.  
  
Grissom glanced over at Catherine before putting his coffee cup in the sink. She could tell that he had figured it out and raised both of her eyebrows at him with a conspiratorial smile on her face. He cocked his head slightly and shrugged his shoulders giving her a half smile. Years of being friends and working together had allowed them to communicate like that.  
  
Grissom joined the group at the table and handed out assignments. 


	6. Greg

Greg glanced up from the mass spectrometer as Sara walked into the DNA lab. He smiled. He always enjoyed seeing Sara. Unfortunately, she didn't see him the way he saw her. She was hot. He, David, and Archie all shared this opinion. A curious look crossed Greg's face as he looked at her. She was wearing a man's shirt. He had heard that she had gone on a blind date last night. Lucky guy. From the looks of things, he had gotten lucky. With his Sara no less. Ok, she wasn't his Sara, but maybe someday.  
  
Sara looked over at Greg and he took that opportunity to quiz her, "So how did your blind date go last night?" Greg waggled his eyebrows at her.  
  
She rolled her eyes with a smile on her face, "It was the date from hell, Greg. Even you know how to treat a woman better than this jerk."  
  
"So, is that an invitation to ask you out?" Greg queried with a hopeful smile.  
  
Sara rolled her eyes at him and ignored the comment.  
  
Greg continued his query, "Nice shirt, Sara."  
  
She blushed as she smiled, "Thanks."  
  
Greg raised a curious eyebrow as he wondered about the true owner of the shirt. He knew it wasn't Sara's. He just wondered how she had gone from the date from hell to wearing some guy's blue shirt. Greg narrowed his gaze at the shirt. There was something familiar about it. Nah, that's just his imagination, he would never, not with Sara. Or would he?  
  
Nick walked into the lab and waved at Greg without saying anything and walked directly over to Sara. He leaned over and whispered something into her ear that Greg couldn't discern. However, it produced a huge smile on Sara's face as well as laughter.  
  
Sara was looking into Nick's eyes. Damn, Sanders, maybe he did. That shirt looks an awful lot like one Nick had on a couple of days ago. Greg remembered because Nick had complained about the top button coming off his brand new shirt. Greg's eyes popped open wide, the top button was missing from the shirt Sara wore.  
  
Greg didn't catch most of the conversation between Nick and Sara. They were whispering and giggling. He did catch what happened next, but he had a hard time processing it. Nick slid his arm around Sara's waist, leaned down and kissed her. As he pulled away, Sara pulled him back by the front of his shirt and kissed him again before letting him leave.  
  
Greg's jaw dropped in shock. Nick looked at Greg's expression on the way out the door and chuckled, "Hey, Greg."  
  
Greg just nodded at Nick, too shocked to speak. He turned toward Sara who had an amused expression on her face as she looked at him. He finally managed to find his voice, "You and Nick?"  
  
Sara chuckled glancing down at the workstation, "Yeah, me and Nick."  
  
"So, then, that's his shirt?" Greg queried.  
  
Sara nodded trying to suppress a grin.  
  
Greg waggled his eyebrows, "So then, Nick was your blind date?"  
  
Sara laughed, "No, I told you the blind date guy was a jerk." She looked back at her work.  
  
Greg gave Sara a confused look, "Uh, Sara. Can I ask you something?"  
  
Sara chuckled, "Maybe."  
  
Greg decided to plunge ahead, "If you and Nick have something going on, why did you go on a blind date last night with another guy?"  
  
Sara raised an eyebrow, "Because there wasn't anything going on between Nick and I until last night."  
  
Greg's eyebrows shot up, "So, how did you go from a blind date with a jerk to dating Nick in one night?"  
  
Sara narrowed her gaze at Greg, "Look, Greggo, I'm trying to work here, but since I know you're not going to stop asking me questions until I tell you something, I'll put it all in a nutshell for you. I went on a blind date with 'Mr. Hands', he claimed he had a flat tire in the rain. Nick's house was closer to walk to than mine. I'm not going to fill in all the sordid details for you."  
  
Greg waggled his eyebrows, "So, there were sordid details. You and Nicky getting kinky."  
  
Sara gave Greg a withering glance, but as she turned her attention back to what she was working on, a smile crept over her face as she remembered the events of the previous night as she arrived on Nick's doorstep and then waking up in Nick's arms this morning. Bliss.  
  
Greg observed the change in Sara's expression. He turned his attention back to the Mass Spectrometer. So Nick was the lucky man who'd gotten lucky with his Sara. Ok, so she was Nick's Sara. Way to go, Nick. Lucky dog. 


	7. After the Rain

Nick drove Sara home after shift and he walked her to the door. Sara turned toward him, giving him an inviting expression, "Do you want to come in for a little while? I could make you something to eat."  
  
"I'd love that." Nick replied, searching her eyes.  
  
Sara closed the door behind them and dropped her purse on the counter. She made her way into the kitchen with Nick right behind her. As she reached up into the cupboard to pull out some pasta, she could feel Nick's arms encircle her waist and his lips pressing against her neck through her hair. With her pinned between the counter and him, Nick's hands began to caress her body through the fabric of her clothing. Nick whispered, "Damn, you look good in my shirt."  
  
Sara whispered back huskily, "I bet you'd like it better, if I took it off, Nick."  
  
Nick chuckled and stepped back far enough so she could turn around. She slowly unbuttoned the shirt and then wrapped an arm around his neck as he lifted her up so she was sitting on the counter. Sara pulled him into a deep kiss, her free arm wrapping around his waist. Nick's hands freely roamed her back under the shirt. His lips pressed against hers.  
  
Sara slid a hand down and squeezed his butt. She broke the kiss and whispered, "Damn fine ass, Stokes."  
  
Nick glanced at Sara's butt, "Your ass is pretty fine too, Sidle."  
  
Sara chuckled.  
  
Someone knocked at the door. Nick mentally cursed. The knock was insistent. His eyes fluttered open. He must have drifted off. He could hear rain coming down in torrents outside. He glanced at his watch. 2:00am. He'd been asleep for three hours. The Discovery Channel was now showing a program on the migration of Grey Whales. Another knock sounded at the door. He wondered who could be at his door at this hour. His brow furrowed with concern, but he wasn't too happy. He was having a damn fine dream about him and Sara. He got up off the couch and walked to the door. He opened it to reveal a soaking wet Sara.  
  
She had an apologetic look on her face, "Did I wake you up?"  
  
He looked at her quizzically and nodded his head, "I dozed off watching TV." He opened the door to let her in.  
  
A smirk crossed her face, "The Discovery Channel. Now why am I not surprised?"  
  
Nick chuckled and raised an eyebrow at her, "Now what brings Sara Sidle to my door at 2:00am looking like a drowned rat?" This was strangely like his dream.  
  
She looked at him with a slight smile, "Flat tire."  
  
Nick chuckled, "Excuse me?"  
  
She looked slightly embarrassed, "My friend Kelly and I went out dancing at some club she's been raving about and she deserted me a hour after we got there for some random guy. So after getting hit on by a bunch of losers, I decided to leave. I think the tire picked up a nail or something, but I knew you had the night off too and your house was closer to walk to than mine."  
  
Nick raised a curious eyebrow, "Why didn't you call a cab?"  
  
Sara chuckled ironically, "I left my cell phone in Catherine's Tahoe."  
  
"Murphy's Law." Nick grinned at her.  
  
Sara was dripping all over Nick's floor, "Do you have a towel or something I can dry off with, Nicky?"  
  
Nick chuckled, "Yeah." He went and retrieved a towel from the bathroom and handed it to her.  
  
As she towel dried her hair, Nick studied her, "Hey, Sara, do you want a pair of sweats and a T-shirt or something, you're pretty wet."  
  
She glanced up and smiled, "That would be really nice. Thanks, Nick."  
  
He disappeared into his bedroom and returned a few minutes later with clothes in hand. He handed them to a grateful Sara, "The sweats have a drawstring, and the shirt is one my sister Lisa left behind the last time she visited, so I think it'll fit."  
  
"Thanks." Sara replied.  
  
He continued to study her for a moment, "If you want, you can take a shower to warm up. You look pretty cold," Nick offered.  
  
Sara smiled, "I think I will, thanks."  
  
"Hey, Sar, where's your Tahoe. I'll call dispatch and have them send a tow truck for it. I can take you home later." Nick offered.  
  
She gave him the location of her Tahoe and disappeared into the bathroom. A few minutes later Nick heard the sound of running water. A perplexed smile crossed his lips. This was too strange. Didn't he just have a dream like this? Damn. Now all he could imagine was Sara in his shower. He cursed himself for having thoughts about his friend like that. Of course, his conscious thoughts were much tamer than the dream he'd just had. Damn. Maybe he should ask Sara out. No. That would complicate things at work.  
  
Nick picked up his phone and punched in the familiar number. "Yeah, this is Nick Stokes from the Crime Lab, I need a tow truck to pick up a department Tahoe." Nick gave them the address Sara had given him. "Thanks." He hung up the phone. He thought he'd better tell someone on the night shift that Sara's Tahoe was being towed in before they sent a search party out for her when it came in. He punched in the familiar number. On the second ring, Grissom answered, "Hey, Grissom, it's Nick. No, everything is fine. No. I just wanted to let someone know that dispatch is having Sara's Tahoe towed in. No, she's fine. She got a flat and walked over here in the rain." Nick chuckled, "Apparently, she left it in Catherine's Tahoe. Ok. No. Thanks." He hung up.  
  
Sara emerged from the bathroom looking warmer and dryer clad in the borrowed sweats and T-shirt. She glanced over at the coffee table and noticed the beer bottle. She looked over at Nick with a grin, "Hey, do you have any more beer?"  
  
He glanced up and smiled, "Sure." He got up to grab a couple of cold micro brews out of the fridge. When he returned, Sara had settled herself on the couch. He handed her a bottle.  
  
"Thanks." She gratefully accepted it and took a swig. "I suppose I should ask you if it's ok for me to hang out for a while. I'm not sure how long my clothes will take to dry out."  
  
Nick raised an eyebrow at her, "You can hang out as long as you don't mock my TV viewing habits, Sidle."  
  
She laughed, "Ok, but you have to admit that anyone who watches 'The Mating Habits of the African Elephant' is a little strange."  
  
Nick glanced at the TV. He hadn't noticed that the program had changed. An embarrassed smile crossed his face, "Why don't I put your clothes in the dryer."  
  
Sara raised an eyebrow, "Trying to get rid of me, Stokes?"  
  
Nick chuckled, "No, just trying to change the subject. I didn't notice the show had changed. We can change the channel."  
  
Sara smiled, "They'll shrink."  
  
Nick looked at her perplexed, "What?"  
  
"My clothes. If I put them in the dryer, they'll shrink," She replied.  
  
Nick grinned at her, "Ok, so I won't put them in the dryer. What do you want to watch on TV?"  
  
She glanced over at him, "I don't care. Hey, what happened to the top button of your shirt?"  
  
Nick chuckled, "I think it popped off, brand new shirt, you'd think they could at least make sure the buttons last a week." Nick started flipping channels, finally settling on an episode of 'Trading Spaces' when Sara had insisted they watch it. He glanced at her and chuckled.  
  
She looked at him, eyebrow raised, "What are you laughing at, Nick?"  
  
An amused expression crossed his face, "You."  
  
"Thanks a lot," She replied in mock hurt.  
  
He smiled, "I just meant that this is fun. I like hanging out with you."  
  
Sara gave him a half smile, "Yeah, me too."  
  
Nick turned his gaze toward her casually, "We should do this more often."  
  
Sara raised an eyebrow, "Can I skip the part where I have to get groped by rude men, get a flat tire, and walk a mile in the rain though next time?"  
  
Nick chuckled, "I think that can be arranged." He took a swig of his beer. "But you look pretty good wet though," He teased.  
  
Sara took a swig of her beer and flashed him a grin, "Didn't think you noticed, Stokes."  
  
Nick swallowed hard. He glanced back at Sara. Damn, she was gorgeous. Hell, nothing ventured nothing gained. "Hey, Sara?"  
  
She glanced over at him, "Yeah, Nick?" She noticed the somewhat nervous expression on his face. The corners of her mouth turned up in a smile as she waited for him to continue.  
  
His eyes locked with hers for a moment before he continued, "Would you go out with me sometime? On a date I mean." He felt like his heart had stopped beating and he was holding his breath. To Nick it seemed like an eternity before she answered, and it wasn't quite the answer he was expecting.  
  
Sara tried to restrain her smile. She reached over and caressed Nick's face with her hand and pressed her lips to his for a moment.  
  
As she broke the kiss, a look of bewilderment crossed Nick's face, "Was that a yes?"  
  
Sara looked amused, "Yeah." 


	8. Author's Note

A/N: Ok. So some of you might be uttering curse words at me for that (shame on you, didn't your mother teach you anything? Oh, wait, it's not your mom's fault, you just didn't listen. Unless she's a sailor, in which case we know where you got your mouth). Anyway, the point here is for those of you who weren't quite tracking with me is that only the first paragraph of Chapter 1 and the last half of Chapter 7 are real. The rest is Nick's dream. Did anyone catch how his shirt kept coming up? Perhaps Nicky is a little too preoccupied with his clothes. He does dress well, now doesn't he? Perhaps I can be persuaded to write a sequel, but I'm leaving on vacation in 3 days, so you'll just have to wait until I get back. (I'm pretty sure there aren't too many computers where I'm going in Africa). ( 


End file.
